Public safety personnel (for example, police, fire fighters, first responders, investigators, and the like) use portable communication devices to communicate with one another during the performance of their duties. The use of communication devices in hazardous environments or under stressful conditions may damage some components of the devices, for example, the external antennas. Damaged components may degrade or interrupt communications between public safety personnel.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.
The apparatus and method components have been represented where appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description herein.